Dead Poets Society




Dead Poets Society - Idioms 1


The Four Pillars of Welton

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tradition something that people have done for a long time, and continue to do

honor strong moral beliefs and standards of behavior that make people respect and trust you

discipline controlled behavior in which people obey rules and orders

excellence extremely good or of very high quality






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Neil: Todd’s roommate; Neil’s father is very controlling; Neil did summer school
Todd: Neil’s roommate transferred to Welton; Todd’s brother was “one of school’s finest”; does
not like to speak in front of people
Knox: brown hair; looks like Charlie; his father is a friend of the Danbury’s; he meets Kris and
falls in love
Charlie: brown hair; looks like Knox; very outgoing; sometimes says things without thinking
Cameron: short red hair; brown noser; very anal—uses ruler when writing notes
Pitts: brown hair and crew cut; reads the poem “To the Virgins, Make Much of Time”
Meeks: glasses and longer red hair than Cameron; considered to be a genius
Mr. Perry: Neil’s father; tries to control Neil
Mr. Keating: English teacher; “seize the day”
Kris: blond hair; Knox calls her “Mrs. Danbury?”; is dating Chet
Chet: very spoiled; jerk; is dating Kris


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The Four Pillars of Hell-ton

crumbling-pillars.pngTravesty - something bad that is not what it should be
Horror - something very shocking or frightening
Decadence - moral decline as because of excessive indulgence in self-interest
Excrement - waste matter from the bowels; feces



Vocabulary

  • annual – the year book of the class
  • ceremony - a formal event that happens in public on special occasions
  • Decadence - moral decline as because of excessive indulgence in self-interest
  • dedication - hard work or effort that is put into an activity because it is important
  • discipline- controlled behavior in which people obey rules and orders
  • drop - "to drop" something is to quit or give it up,
  • Excellence- extremely good or of very high quality
  • Excrement - waste matter from the bowels; feces
  • extra-curricular - school activities outside of classes like clubs and sports
  • fervent - believing or feeling something very strongly
  • Honor strong moral beliefs and standards of behavior that make people respect and trust you
  • Horror - something very shocking or frightening
  • Ivy League – eight old respected colleges in the northeast of the U.S.:Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University.
  • jerk - a person who bothers others with a annoying personality
  • keen - really great
  • pillar - a basic fact, idea, or principle that something is based upon
  • preparatory school - a school that is designed to prepare students for a college or university education
  • slick- a cool person who is good at talking
  • thrilling - exciting
  • Tradition -something that people have done for a long time, and continue to do
  • Travesty - an imitation. Common phrase is "a travesty of justice"
  • Valedictorian - student with the best grades in class. He usually presents a speech at the graduation ceremony
  • vaporizer - little device that produces steam to help deal with a cold


Idioms



  • big shoes to fill - someone in your place before you, did an excellent job and you are going to have to do a lot to be as good.
  • bootlicking – doing anything to make an authority happy with you
  • born with his foot in his mouth - always talking stupid/foolish
  • don’t to test me - don't challenge me
  • don't mind him - ignore him
  • looks like a stiff – a person that is not interesting; a dead body
  • settle down - calm down
  • tell him off - to yell or curse at him
  • that’s rich what you said about a person, could be said about you
  • chin up - be brave